Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary Vanquish Limited Edition unveiled

Aston Martin Works is celebrating its 60 years of bespoke creation with the commission of six limited edition sports cars.

The first of these six limited edition models is being unveiled during the company’s customer Christmas celebration on December 12. The celebration also marks the start of 12 months of anniversary events at Aston Martin Works. All of these six bespoke cars are versions of the current Vanquish super GT. Created in either Coupe or Volante form, these sports cars were built in cooperation with Aston Martin’s design team based in Gaydon and the Q by Aston Martin personalization service.

Interestingly, each of the six limited sports cars is designed to reflect one of the six decades being celebrated. These six bespoke creations – all rare and ultra-desirable sports cars – are collectively known as ‘Works 60th Anniversary’ models.

To set apart the Anniversary cars from their typical counterparts, they feature a number of distinguishing elements like trim and paint colour treatments. In addition, bespoke rotaries are found around the major controls in the center console of each of the bespoke Vanquish models. Each of these rotaries has been cast from metal that previously formed a piston in an Aston Martin engine of the relevant decade – DB 2/4 Mk II saloon (1955-1965); DB5 (1965-1975); V8 Coupe (1975-1985); V8 Vantage X-pack (1985-1995); V8 Vantage supercharged (1995-2005); and Original Vanquish (2005-2015). The relevant piston has been derived from an engine that has been rebuilt or reworked. These rotaries feature laser-etched Works’ Anniversary wording.

The Aston Martin Design team, as led by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, provided the design direction for the Works Anniversary cars while the Q by Aston Martin personalization team delivered on the bespoke elements in each car’s construction.

Paul Spires, Aston Martin Works Commercial Director, remarked that the project is regarded as a harmonious cooperation across the whole business, as developed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell. He remarked that he is looking forward to unveil the first of the Works Anniversary cars at the Christmas celebration, and to build and deliver the remaining models in 2015.

Aston Martin Works commenced the project in July this year, with its team meeting with designers from Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters to lay out their plans. The Works staff worked in close cooperation with Reichman and his team and with Q by Aston Martin bespoke personalization division to develop the ideas for the ultimate 60th anniversary collectors’ item cars.

Matthew Bennett, General Manager of VIP and Q by Aston Martin Sales at Gaydon, quipped that colors of the six bespoke sports cars reflect and celebrate the progress Aston Martin Works have made over the past six decades. He noted that while these models celebrate the past, they also point to the brand’s a bright and exciting future. Adding that these new Vanquish models will be a notable part of the brand’s history at Newport Pagnell.

These Works Anniversary cars are identified by certain elements like the Anniversary Yellow side strakes and alloy wheels and the new Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary logo etched onto their sill plates.

Spires added that the project presented quite a challenge for them. For instance, the cars’ colored side strakes have never been attempted by Aston Martin while sourcing pistons from the correct engines in the correct decades was an equally challenging feat.

Press Release

Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Vanquish

Six bespoke models celebrate Aston Martin Works’ 60th anniversary

Cars incorporate aluminium from Aston Martin pistons of relevant eras

Unique colour and trim treatments ensure ultimate exclusivity

12 December 2014, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire: Aston Martin Works – which marks its diamond jubilee in 2015 – is celebrating 60 glorious years at Newport Pagnell with the commissioning of six limited edition sports cars.

The first of the cars is being revealed today, Friday December 12, at the Buckinghamshire-based firm’s customer Christmas celebration, which also forms the start of 12 months of exciting anniversary activity at Aston Martin Works.

The six bespoke cars, all versions of the current Vanquish super GT in either Coupe or Volante form, are being created in association with the luxury British brand’s Gaydon-based design team, and its ultimate personalisation service: Q by Aston Martin.

Each of the six cars is subtly different, and each is tailored to reflect one of the six decades being celebrated. The result is a collection of rare and ultra-desirable sports cars that will be instantly recognisable as ‘Works 60th Anniversary’ models.

A number of elements distinguish the Anniversary cars including trim and paint colour treatments. But, perhaps, the most emotive part of each car comes in the form of a fine detail: bespoke rotaries around the major controls in the centre console of each Vanquish.

Each rotary has been cast from metal that, previously, had formed a piston in an Aston Martin engine of the relevant period. These rotaries are then carefully laser etched with Works’ Anniversary wording.

The six pistons have been drawn from engines in the following Newport Pagnell-built sports cars:

In each case, the relevant piston has been sourced from an engine that has been rebuilt or reworked at some point in its life.

Design direction for the Works Anniversary cars came from the Aston Martin Design team, led by Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman, while the bespoke elements of each car’s construction have been delivered by the Q by Aston Martin personalisation team at the brand’s Gaydon factory.

Aston Martin Works Commercial Director, Paul Spires, explained: “This project has been a harmonious co-operation across the whole business, developed uniquely to celebrate 60 years of Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell.

“I’m thrilled to be unveiling the first of these cars at our Christmas celebration, and look forward to seeing the remaining models being built and delivered to customers throughout the course of our anniversary year in 2015.”

Collectors’ items

The process of creating the bespoke Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Vanquish models began way back in July of this year, as the Works team met with designers from Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ to scope out their plans.

Working closely with Marek Reichman and his team, and the brand’s bespoke personalisation branch – Q by Aston Martin – the Works staff carefully developed and refined their ideas for the ultimate 60th anniversary collectors’ item cars.

Dr Matthew Bennett, General Manager of VIP and Q by Aston Martin Sales at Gaydon, said: “The colours of these six unique cars have been very carefully chosen to reflect and celebrate the progress of Aston Martin Works over those six decades.

“Celebrating the past, but pointing very much toward a bright and exciting future, too, these Vanquish models will, I’m sure, very quickly become a notable feature of the brand’s history at Newport Pagnell.”

Instantly identifiable as Works Anniversary cars by features such as their Anniversary Yellow side strakes and alloy wheels, the six Vanquish also feature the new Aston Martin Works 60th Anniversary logo which, like the cars’ colour schemes, has been designed by the team at Gaydon. The vibrant and distinctive logos are etched into each car’s sill plates.

Paul Spires added: “We certainly gave ourselves some challenges with this project. Coloured side strakes such as these have never been attempted by Aston Martin before, and sourcing pistons from the correct engines in the correct decades was, of course, no small feat either.

“However, we’re all very happy with the end result and we’ve already taken a number of orders from collectors keen to own a piece of the brand’s history.”

Unique features in the Anniversary cars include: rotaries made from worked metal of a heritage model piston from the relevant era; distinctive Anniversary Yellow accents on the side strakes and alloy wheels; White/black Duotone seat centre panels; unique sill plaques depicting the era the car relates to and featuring the Works Anniversary logo; distinctive colour and trim treatments that include features such as contrast yellow stitching in the leather, and new heavy weave carbon fibre.

The cars of course retain the standard technical features of the Vanquish super GT such as its 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine mated in a pioneering transaxle layout to the latest generation Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic gearbox. This provides the Vanquish with genuinely spirited performance: the 0-60mph time is a mere 3.6 seconds and the maximum speed tops 200mph.

Prices for the six cars are available on application at Aston Martin Works.